Articles Analysis Essay on Chinese International Students in USA Colleges

According to the Academic World University Rankings 2017, American Universities dominate the top 100 slots. About 48 universities in the US occupy the first 100 slots in the world rankings. In comparison, only two Chinese universities appear in the top 100 according to the rankings. Recent studies and reports from the International Educational Exchange have revealed that an increased number of Chinese students is registered every year in American universities than in any other countries. It has come to light that China is the major contributor of international students in the American institutions of higher learning. This situation leads to a question: why or should Chinese students in the US, what is the benefit? There has to be a reason for this influx of Chinese international students going the American way as is revealed by various studies of international education.

Heng, Tang T. "Voices of Chinese International Students in USA Colleges:"I Want to Tell Them That ." Studies in Higher Education (2017): p833-850.

The mobility of international students has gained more ground, particularly in the United States as Heng as found out. There are some reasons including the recognition of the strength of higher education system in the United States. The study involved surveys and interviews with specific proportions of Chinese students in USA colleges. Central to the outcomes was the fact that support for and relation with the international students is the foundation of success for those coming to seek knowledge in the tertiary institutions (IIE 2017). There was a revelation that the institutional communities of international students in American colleges provide support for college and learning experience. The Chinese students tend to welcome the experience of new cultures especially the varied cultures that exist in the American colleges as they get to mingle with other international students from other parts of the world. The Chinese internationals were reported to have wanted both their professors and host partners to be curious and cognizant about their backgrounds and provide initiative and care when approaching them. Currently, there are improved international student services as well as academic support for the foreign Chinese students that enable them to understand the underlying academic norms far from home.

Chou, Frank H. Studying in the US: then and now. Taipei: Tamkang University, 2003.

Chou highlights the dominating American influence in the Chinese development through institutions such as the Institute for Advanced Study. Evident from this bibliographic item is the fact that in the early years, the international relations between China and the United States saw the establishments of programs which allowed Chinese students to study in America. The creation an implementation of the Boxer scholarship in the early 1900s enabled a considerable number of Chinese individuals to study in the US resulting in various doctorate achievements. Later, some of the Chinese scholars moved back to China to conduct various researches and hold various positions of influence in the academic echelons of China. The availability of scholarships is one of the reasons why Chinese international students should explore the prospects of studying abroad. Currently, apart from the scholarships available for Chinese students to conduct their studies in the US, the number of students under self-sponsorship has alarmingly increased as more students realize the better chances of success that accompany the academic papers from America. Gaining a higher education in America enabled Chou to lead a machine building project in China with which he contributed immensely in the Chinese national defense after threats of invasion from Japan. He was later able to supervise other doctorate programs of fellow Chinese students having specialized in quantum mechanics and relativity.

Chapman, Carolyn and Rita M King. Test success in the brain-compatible classroom. Calif.: Corwin Press, 2009.

Chinese students continually flock the American universities in a bid to seek more freedom to study what they want or choose, as opposed to the rigid Chinese education system which limits students choice through some tests. In China, there is a national test used to determine the eligibility of students to study certain courses at the higher level. Prior to joining any Chinese university, every student has to take a test called the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, also referred to as gaokao. It is an equivalent of SATs but much harder. This test is rigid in that its outcomes are not easy to change resulting in the possibility of students learning what they do not fancy. The use of test scores has been used in China for years to determine the courses students undertake in the Chinese institutions of higher learning. Moving to the US allows the freedom to study courses of their choices as long as they can foot the fees or operate under scholarships. International educational consultants such as Chapman and King (2009) have talked to lengths about the suitability and relevance of test success in the academics of international students. These test scores are foundations of the rigid Chinese education system which is limiting and choking to those students who want something more adventurous and unbound to such tests.

Brittain, Carmina. Transnational messages: experiences of Chinese and Mexican immigrants in American schools. New York: LFB Scholarly Pub, 2002.

Brittain (2002) has found out that the transnational ties that exist between the sending and the receiving nations contribute immensely to the attraction of international students between the countries involved in the ties. The information received from the Chinese co-nationals in the American schools influence the move to study in the US. The results from Brittains study on Chinese students in American schools show that the fellow students studying abroad pass welcoming and positive information about the American universities and education quality to their peers in the home countries. The messages revolve around social ties, diverse cultures, teacher-student and student-student relationships, academic realms, and the lifestyles. These are presented in mouthwatering versions which end up as the attracting factors behind the Chinese students move to the US. The study also explores the negative stereotypical prejudices such as racial discriminations. Brittain (2002 p.241) showcases how the international students not only cultivated fears of discriminations but also provided means of survival to the prospective Chinese and Mexican internationals planning to study in the United States. Another point provided in this bibliographic item is that the information on infrastructures and teacher abilities are significant factors which attract Chinese students to study in America.

Sanchez, Carol M., Marianela Fornerino, and Mengxia Zhang. "Motivations and the intent to study abroad among US, French, and Chinese students." Journal of Teaching in International Business 18.1 (2006): 27-52.

Other non-academic factors are also presented as the reasons behind the spike in Chinese students moving to the United States. One of them is Chinas motive to expand her middle class as well as policies on families. For instance, the one-child policy in China has resulted in the ability of Chinese parents to accumulate wealth that stretches far enough to enable them to pay the hefty prices of the US degrees. The American colleges have been accused of benefiting largely from the fees paid by the international students as the majority is unqualified from grants within the host institutions. Despite the high price of American papers, reports have revealed that the number of Chinese internationals on self-sponsorship has risen considerably leading to the large population of Chinese students. The United States is continuing to attract more students from China as the country seeks to invest in her younger brains abroad particularly because the quality of education in the US is greatly the best. This has been proved by the constant domination of the world university rankings by the American tertiary institutions. The rapid development of various international schools in China has been cited as one of the major factors that prepare Chinese students for life in the university and western education (Sanchez, Marianela & Mengxia).

Li, Mei, and Mark Bray. "Cross-border flows of students for higher education: Push-pull factors and motivations of mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong and Macau." Higher education 53.6 (2007): 791-818.

Other studies (Li & Bray 2007) have also revealed that one of the pulling factors is the wide range of degree-granting institutions in the US, from private, nonprofit to public institutions whose amounts of fees vary. Some Chinese internationals, as well as other international students, have been found to have enrolled in private colleges, public and community colleges whose fees are subsidized. All these institutions have been and are continuously welcoming international students including those from China. Other foreign private sponsors have been found to pay fees for international students hence the increased number. There are other pulling factors from the United States as there is an aim to recruit Chinese students with the intention to attract talent as well as diversify the student population. This bibliographic item reveals that mainland students from Hong Kong and Macau are targeted as the areas promote the internationalization of education. The Chinese students seek to further their education in the US since they seek individual academic and professional growth.

Works Cited

"ARWU World University Rankings 2017 | Academic Ranking Of World Universities 2017 | Top 500 Universities | Shanghai Ranking - 2017." Shanghairanking.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Nov. 2017.

Brittain, Carmina. Transnational messages : experiences of Chinese and Mexican immigrants in American schools. New York: LFB Scholarly Pub, 2002. Document.

Chapman, Carolyn and Rita M King. Test success in the brain-compatible classroom. Calif.: Corwin Press, 2009. Document.

Chou, Frank H. Studying in the US : then and now. Taipei: Tamkang University,, 2003. Document.

Heng, Tang T. "Voices of Chinese International Students in USA Colleges:"I Want to Tell Them That ." Studies in Higher Education (2017): p833-850. Document.

"IIE Releases Open Doors 2017 Data." Iie.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Nov. 2017.

Li, Mei, and Mark Bray. "Cross-border flows of students for higher education: Pushpull factors and motivations of mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong and Macau." Higher education 53.6 (2007): 791-818.

Sanchez, Carol M., Marianela Fornerino, and Mengxia Zhang. "Motivations and the intent to study abroad among US, French, and Chinese students." Journal of Teaching in International Business 18.1 (2006): 27-52.